Wilderness Edge
Campground, Millinocket Maine
Photo link:Our first stop in Maine was Millinocket, in the northern part of the state, which is near Baxter State Park. Within this park is Mt. Katahdin, which is the tallest mountain in the US east of the Mississippi. The summit of Mt. Katahdin is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Many A.T. through hikers celebrate the arrival at the summit as the end of their 2300 mile trek. Climbing this mountain to the summit has always been one of Kurt's dreams.
We camped at an RV park called Wilderness Edge and it really
was. It was the closest campground to the state park without being in the park.
We really loved the campground, as it gave us the feeling of being in a
wilderness area.
Kurt had already obtained the permit to do the hike and had
all of his gear organized, packed and ready to go. Our first day we simply
drove up to Baxter State Park, visited the ranger station to get all the
information we needed and finalize his plans. It was exciting to get our first
glimpse of Mount Katahdin from a distance, even though it was a beautiful day,
the top of the mountain was shrouded in clouds. Kurt was hoping for a clear day
for his hike the next day. The whole area was very much wilderness, dotted
with glacial lakes throughout the region and many more mountain peaks beyond
Katahdin.
After a day of resting and final preparations for the
10-hour hike, Kurt struck out early the next morning. The plan was to drop him
off at the Hunt Trailhead (Appalachian Trail), where he would leave from and at
the end of the day, at a specified time, I would pick him up at the lower end
of the Abol Trailhead, which he would descend. The one concern that we had was
that there was no cell service available until he got to the summit, where he
would be able to send me a text.
Kurt began his trek to the summit and as you will see in the
pictures there are many amazing sights along the way with signs regarding the
mountain and the trails. One beautiful view was of Katahdin Stream Falls, which
the trail followed for a short distance. As he ascended the mountainside, he
was able to see more distant views of mountains and lakes. The higher he went
the more large rocks and boulders began consuming the trail. At this point the
hike became a rock scrambling experience. Some of the boulders were taller than
he is and were a real challenge, but he had no problems crawling up and over
the rocks.
He eventually ascended the mountain where he was above the
tree line. At that point the trail was just rocks and a few tundra plants
covering the ground. About a little over a mile from the summit he walked up to
an area called the tablelands. At this point the elevation flattened out making
the hiker feel that this was going to be as easy from this point. He explained
to me that it really fooled a lot of hikers as they thought that it was going
to be easy when he said it really became tougher. Along the way he would take rest breaks, have
some snacks and water to make sure he was properly nourished throughout the
hike.
On his final approach to the summit he was able to see the
rocky top of the mountain, with probably three or four dozen other hikers who
had already made it there. At the very summit there is a rugged wooden sign
with all the details about Katahdin and Baxter Peak. The elevation at the peak
is 5267 feet, nearby the peak is a huge rock cairn that is exactly 13 feet high
so that that Katahdin peak is exactly a mile high at 5280 feet. When he arrived
at the summit he was able to send a text letting me know his approximate time
of arrival at the base of the mountain.While at the summit he walked out onto a very rugged, dangerous trail called the Knife Edge. Some hikers will descend the mountain via this trail, but Kurt just wanted to experience the feel of being out there and realized that with the vertigo that he has sometimes that it was probably not a good idea.
He then headed back to the planned trail for the descent, the Abol Trail. The descent down this trail was just as rugged as the ascending trail. He arrived at the base trailhead about 30 minutes sooner than expected. He was able to hike the total 10 miles in 7 hours and 45 minutes. All I can say is that he was so thrilled to have done it and accomplished one of his greatest dreams.
For the remaining two days there, we hiked the A.T. with the dogs. One day we headed south on a most beautiful hike through the wilderness that looked like a rain forest. There was moss covering the ground and rocks, with ferns all around. This part of the A.T. began a section of 100 miles of total wilderness. This is the longest wilderness section of the A.T. and hikers are warned to be prepared with food and water for 10 days, which would be the average hiking time for this mileage. There is a history of some hikers not surviving this section; due to lack of food, weather exposure and getting lost off trail. This can be a dangerous hike if one is not knowledgeable and prepared. However, the vast majority of hikers make it to Katahdin as planned.
The last day there, we hiked north on the A.T. traveling
into Baxter S.P. This section was less rocky and no steep areas, as it followed
along the banks of the Penobscot River. It was a lovely hike and after about 3
miles, we came across a waterfall on the Katahdin Stream at the confluence of
the Penobscot River. This was the place where we had our lunch and rested,
enjoying the waterfall. The dogs played in the water and drank all they wanted.
After getting back to the trailhead, we were ready to get back to camp and
begin preparing to leave the next day.
Our five days in this wilderness area of Maine were so
enjoyable, we could have stayed a couple of more days. However, we were
excited to get to Acadia N.P. This was the main destination for our New England
tour. 